Driving And Steering; Drive Speeds - Snorkel AB46JE Operator's Manual

Driving and Steering

A
Danger
The aerial platform can tip over if it becomes unstable.
Death or serious injury will result from a tip-over ac-
cident. Do not drive an elevated aerial platform on
soft, uneven, or sloping surfaces. Do not drive the
machine on grades that exceed 25 percent.
For operation on grades up to 25 percent, it is recom-
mended that the main boom be near horizontal and the
jib be elevated just enough to provide adequate ground
clearance.
A 25 percent grade is a 30" (0.76 m) vertical rise in 10'
(3.05 m) horizontal length.
Avoid driving with the platform over the front end of the
chassis. In this position the machine is difficult to control
because:
• drive and steer control movements and their resulting
machine movements are reversed.
• when driving fast, sudden turns or stops produce more
severe reactions to platform occupants.
• more turning space is required to prevent the platform
from colliding with obstacles several feet beyond the
path of the tires.
A
Warning
Death or serious injury could result from improperly
driving or steering the aerial platform. Read and un-
derstand the information in this manual and on the
placards and decals on the machine before operating
the aerial platform on the job.
The blue and yellow arrows on the chassis indicate the
direction the chassis will move when the drive or steer
control is moved toward the corresponding color.
When the machine is in the stowed position, with the
booms centered between the rear wheels, the direction
of drive and steer control movement corresponds with
the direction of chassis movement.
When the turntable is rotated from the stowed position,
with the booms to either side of or in front of the chassis,
the direction of control movement does not correspond
with the direction of chassis movement.
• To avoid confusion, always drive to the work area
or move between work areas with the turntable and
booms in the stowed position.
• After arriving at the work area, the booms may be
positioned to the side or the front of the chassis for
fi nal positioning.
AB46JE – 0260072
• Always look in the direction of movement as indicated
by the directional arrows on the chassis.
Use the following procedure to operate the drive and
steer functions.
1. Determine the desired drive range for the specific
driving conditions. Place the switch in the appropriate
position to achieve the desired drive wheel opera-
tion.
• Use high range (rabbit) when traveling across
fi rm, fl at, level surfaces. High range can only
be activated when the booms are stowed. High
range is for high speed, low torque operation.
• Use low range (turtle) for driving on loading
ramps or other steep grades and when safety
considerations demand slow deliberate machine
movement. Low range is for low speed, high
torque operation.
2. Step down on the platform foot switch.
3. Push the drive joystick forward to move the chas-
sis forward, the direction of the blue arrow. Pull the
joystick backward to move the chassis backward,
the direction of the yellow arrow. The drive speed is
proportional to the joystick position.
4. To stop drive motion, return the joystick to neutral.
5. The steer switch is a momentary contact, rocker
switch on top of the drive joystick. The switch controls
the two front wheels to steer the aerial platform.
• To steer to the right, hold down the right side of
the steer switch.
• To steer to the left, hold down the left side of the
steer switch.
Note
The steering wheels are not self-centering. Set the steer-
ing wheels straight ahead after completing a turn.
6. After driving to the desired location, release the
foot switch, or return the drive joystick to neutral to
apply the parking brakes.

Drive Speeds

The drive speed is proportional to the joystick position.
The farther the joystick is moved, the faster the travel
speed.
Always slow down and shift the drive system to low range
before traveling over any sloped surface.
Drive speed ranges are interlocked through limit switches
that sense the main and riser boom position.
Chapter 9 – Operation
41